Crafting with Kids

One of the most common things I hear from people is, “your children must be so crafty…” This is either said to be with a look of wonder or a look of pity. The wonder comes from the people who think I put forth so much effort in this regard; the pity comes from those who see only the hassle. Well, sometimes pity comes from those who see all the effort as well, but that’s chalked up to hassle when pity is the end result.

Contrary to popular belief, crafting with my kids is one of the easiest things I do around here. The problem is what adults view as crafting as opposed to what children view as crafting. They are very different things. Adults want an end product, something to give away, use or display. Kids just want to make.

I often am told by others, “I’m not crafty” or “I have no patience for that.” Sadly, their expectation of what crafting is does not match that of the child’s. Kids want to experience the joy of cutting, gluing and exploring what can be done with the materials around them. Particularly young children, as, we must remember, the older we grow the mindset of what crafting is will change as well.

Young children are the best crafters, and the easiest to pacify. They happily take what is offered and can do ANYTHING with them. Learning to use only the right amount of glue, understanding how to bend the pipe cleaner, organizing pompoms in some made up sequence that is only apparent to a 3 year old brain, are all legitimate modes of kid craft. None of those require adult imagination or work. 

I do admit that I’m more lenient with my children and their use of glue, paint and other messy products. But I account for this and make use of newspaper, plastic bags and foil to create easy to clean up work surfaces. I know mothers that will dab glue for their children because they don’t want to deal with the mess, I on the other hand glop a big ol’ blob of glue on their working surface and toss them a handful of q-tips. I know that half the fun is trying to learn how to make it work! 

My personal advice for those that worry about what to expect when crafting with kids is simple- Have NO expectations. Seriously, you never know what you are going to get. The goal may be to make butterflies but end up with space creatures instead. No problem! You may begin the project by painting, only to discover that painting isn’t as much fun as it was last week, this week cutting things into small and nearly invisible parts is WAY more entertaining. Paintbrushes should be optional, really. The joy of running your fingers through that cool and thick substance is awe inspiring. Kids learn by feeling and doing, always buy washable and non-toxic and there is no need to be worried. Besides, baby wipes were invented for just this reason… those bad boys can clean paint off ANYTHING.

Trust me… this I know from experience.

Adults that do not enjoy crafting usually cannot let themselves go and feel at ease with their creativity. The same adults find it difficult to let go of the same feelings in regards to their children, but children are not programmed the same way. They are naturally carefree and open minded, crafting comes naturally. Expect nothing and everything will come as it should.